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Competition Bureau launches call for feedback on new greenwashing provisions

GATINEAU — On Jul. 22, the Competition Bureau is launching a public consultation to gather input from Canadians on specific questions related to the new greenwashing provisions of the Competition Act.

This consultation will inform the Bureau’s development of enforcement guidance about environmental claims, including its interpretation of the new provisions.

The new provisions about greenwashing were added to the law following a series of amendments that took place on June 20, 2024. Simply stated, businesses are now required to have testing or substantiation to support certain environmental claims.

The Bureau invites interested parties to provide feedback on the consultation questions by September 27, 2024, by emailing greenwashingconsultationecoblanchiment@cb-bc.gc.ca. Each submission received will be published on the Bureau’s website unless the provider requests that it be kept confidential.

The Bureau also released a new edition of the Deceptive Marketing Practices Digest that addresses environmental claims. This edition aims to provide a foundation to understand the issues around environmental claims in general and how businesses can comply with the provisions of the Competition Act already in place prior to the amendments.

“The Competition Bureau has received a large number of requests for guidance on the interpretation of new provisions of the Competition Act aimed at greenwashing. Through our consultation on these new provisions, we will provide guidance that will offer transparency and predictability for Canadians,” says Matthew Boswell, Commissioner of Competition.